To the members of NEAC and NAWAC , senior management MAF and Ministers

I am writing to all of you with regards to my concerns that there appear to be corrupt practices within MAF.

In 2006 I questioned the existence of the Animal Welfare institute of New Zealand ( AWINZ ) , it is an approved organisation under the animal welfare act. And has the same status and powers as the RNZSPCA.

What is significant under the act is that penalties can be up to $250,000 and by virtue of section 171 they are payable to the approved organisation which undertook the prosecution.( this provides opportunity for fraud )

AWINZ is what I believe to be the perfect fraud- but instead of the authorities dealing with it I was taken to court on a private prosecution By Neil Wells and Wyn Hoadley on trumped up charges and defamation.

5 years of court battles later It has cost me my 23 year marriage and about $200,000 not to mention the damage to my business and my personal reputation and my family.. forget about cruelty to animals this has been a total assault on my family.

Effectively there is still $200,000 in court costs and damages to be paid , this for a court proceedings where I was denied a hearing on the facts, I was effectively sentenced without being found guilty first. .. but that is beside the point on what I am approaching you for.

AWINZ was the brain child of Neil Wells

Neil Wells and Bob Harvey worked together in 1974 in advertising their campaign saw the Kirk Govt into power.

Wells was director RNZSPCA and later became involved with the various animal welfare advisory groups and wrote many of the codes.

He came up with the idea to set up a territorial animal welfare service where by dog and stock control operated by councils would be given extended powers to become animal welfare officers.

He worked with Bob Harvey and set this up In Waitakere as a trial.

He then wrote the No 1 Bill for the animal welfare act to facilitate his business plan by introducing the approved organisation status.

He became the independent advisor to the select committee in the time leading up to the bill becoming law.

When the bill was passed but before the act became law he made an application for approved status for AWINZ , claiming that AWINZ was a trust and that it was in the process of being registered under the charitable trust act 1957 .. the reality was that no one else ever signed or showed any evidence that he could make this application in their names.

In 2006 I was approached by an AWINZ animal welfare officer and who was also a council employee. She was concerned that she had to volunteer her council paid time to AWINZ and prioritise animal welfare jobs over dog control work.

I found that the logos for AWINZ and for the animal welfare at Waitakere city council where Mr wells now worked as manager were deceptively similar and he was running fundraising campaigns using the logo sending out donation requests with the dog registration, he further claimed that AWINZ was a charity when it was not.

With others we had formed a trust called the animal welfare institute of New Zealand and had legally registered it. Neil Wells now finding himself caught out needed the name to cover up and took legal action against me for passing off, breach of fair trade and defamation, the object at all times was to intimidate me and force the release of name.

I have evidence that he committed perjury in court and misled the court, none of this apparently matter in NZ but this is not an issue for you .

Due to the questions I had raised AWINZ was audited late 2008 and in July 2009 the audit report published. ( as attached )

As a result of tis audit AWINZ chose to relinquish its approved status but despite this continued to operate until December 2010 when I drew the ministers attention to the fact that it was still operating.

AWINZ is now no longer an approved organisation .

The conflict of interest for Mr wells was

He was manager dog and sock control Waitakere.

He had signed an MOU with MAF for AWINZ

He had signed an Mou for AWINZ with Waitakere dog and stock control with the previous manager.

He was therefore now both parties to this MOU.

He used the staff under his control for AWINZ

They used the council infrastructure ( he therefore had no over heads )

They reported an animal welfare offence to Him as manager Animal welfare

He would pass this to himself as AWINZ

He would pass it to himself as Barrister

The money would come in and he banked this into an account only he had control of.

What is of further concern is that MAF have gone all out to protect Mr Wells.

I have evidence that he has a long term relationship with David Bayvel ( the writer of the letter ) and Barry O’Neil who is the director referred to in the letter. Refer attached document where he acknowledges long term relationships 11 years ago with Peter O’Hara, John Hellstrom ,Barry O’ Neil and David Bayvel. Mr wells claims in a cv which can be located on line http://kaimanawa.homestead.com/ContactUs.html that he was

1984– 1995 Member, National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee.

1989– 1998 Member, Animal Welfare Advisory Committee

Wyn Hoadley was of course similarly involved and was chair of the NAEAC

I was further investigated by MAF biosecurity in 2006 on another matter where I was investigating a non-existent liquidator and director, the company involved had a transitional facilities licence. I happen to refer t the documents and was accused of passing myself off as a MAF officer.

A colleague who assisted me by taking over the name Animal welfare Institute of New Zealand, had his herd of Manchurian Seika Deer confiscated out of the blue.

The reason I am writing to you all is that this case will impact on the credibility of MAF and the related animal advisory boards unless someone is proactive enough to say enough is enough let’s have a good look at what is going on.

5 years of this I have had enough the report speaks for itself why was nothing done after this audit report was released… why is MAF continuing to protect Mr wells.. its time to decide if you are facilitating fraud or acting in the best interest of the public.

AWINZ never existed.. it was only ever Mr Wells trading as AWINZ and because I pointed it out I have been crucified.

We desperately need an independent commission against corruption and this case proves it. Those who are supposed to guard the standards don’t.

I doubt that any one of you will act so in the interest of transparency this will be posted on anticorruption.co.nz.

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